Who Watches the Watchmen
by Palastana
Summary: A Carmilla Police Department AU. Ever imagined Laura and Carmilla as partner Detectives? Pairings include Hollstein, LaFerry, Zeta Society. Updates on Wednesdays
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I am really excited about this story and I will be posting new chapters on Wednesdays. Please feel free to tell me what you think! :)

_**Laura**_

March 6, 2015. 8:00 a.m. Silas City PD

Laura checked her watch. She was right on time, she wanted to make a good impression her first day at her new job. She was standing in front of the Chief of Police's door. Laura raised her hand and knocked three times.

"Enter." Laura opened the door and stepped into the office. She glanced around, taking everything in. You could usually tell a lot about a person by their office, and this space said _business_. There were no family pictures on the desk, or posters on the walls. The only thing that even got close to a personal touch was a potted plant in the corner that looked like it had been dead for years. The desk that dominated the room was neat and organized, but still cluttered enough that it was very clearly used. A small cough brought Laura's attention to the woman behind the desk.

"Detective Hollis, correct?" Laura nodded, she was usually a very talkative person, but the Chief's stern face and piercing gaze made her a little too intimidated to worry about small talk. Chief Karnstein didn't seem concerned by Laura's lack of audible response, instead looking casually through a small folder. Laura could see the name "Hollis, Laura" labeled on the corner.

"A bit young for a detective, but your previous employer seemed to think highly of you. You came from a very small town. Are you sure you'll be able to handle the big city?" Laura swallowed,

"Crime is crime, ma'am. I'm good at my job." The older woman raised an eyebrow,

"We'll see. Well, your transfer is complete, so I suppose we're stuck with you either way." The chief put Laura's file down and stood up,

"We have already decided on your partner. One of our best detectives was working alone, now you will work with her," Chief Karnstein opened the door, "Normally I would have your partner show you around, but she isn't here yet, so... Detective Lawrence!" at the chief's call a tall redheaded woman hurried over,

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Lawrence, this is the new girl. She will be partners with Detective Carmilla. Until Carmilla gets here, you will show her around the station." The tall woman nodded,

"Yes ma'am," she spared a smile for Laura, "Come on, first I'll show you to your desk." The chief turned and went back into her office without another word. Laura let out a breath she hadn't realized that she'd been holding. Detective Lawrence let out a small laugh,

"Yeah, she has that effect on a lot of people. I'm Danny, by the way." Danny gestured for Laura to follow her and showed her to a pair of desks. One was completely empty, except for a computer and a small nameplate with "Det. Laura Hollis" on it in bold letters. Laura dropped her purse onto this desk. Her neighbor's desk was...cluttered. Empty food packets littered the surface, despite a trashcan a mere ten steps away. The keyboard to the computer was almost completely hidden by papers. There was a small tower of books that looked like they'd come straight from a philosophy major's required reading list. On top of the books was a nameplate similar to Laura's that declared that this space belonged to "Det. Carmilla".

"No first name?" Laura asked, nodding to the trash heap that was apparently her partner's desk. Danny laughed,

"Actually, no last name. She won't tell anybody what it is. And believe me, people have tried. On all the official papers, even in court records, nothing." Laura frowned,

"Well that's...eccentric." Danny looked like she was about to choke on her own tongue.

"Eccentric? Yeah, that's Carmilla." She finally gave up on holding it in and was overcome by a fit of giggles. Laura was still waiting for it to pass so she could ask what was so funny when a blonde woman walked over,

"Danny! I was just looking for you...what's going on?" Danny regained control of herself and shook her head,

"Nothing, just showing the new girl around. Elsie, this is Laura Hollis. Laura, this is my partner, Elsie. Her last name is Elius, but she really doesn't like hearing the two together."

"Neither would you if your last name sounded almost exactly like your first. It's good to meet you Laura, welcome to the force. Did they decide on your partner yet?" Laura nodded,

"Yeah, it's Carmilla." Elsie's eyebrows rose, and Laura could swear a bit of pink came to her cheeks,

"Oh, really? Um...that's great. She's one of our best detectives, so you're really lucky to learn from her, I mean,"

"Elsie was there something you needed from me?" Danny interrupted, Elsie's cheeks were definitely pink now, but she shook her head,

"I wanted to go over something with you real quick, but it can wait until you're done showing Laura around. See you later." Elsie moved away and Laura shot a questioning look at Danny, who shrugged in response,

"Come on, I should show you the two people you'll be talking to the most."

"Evidence and forensics?" Laura ventured, Danny winked,

"You got it." Danny led Laura out of the room and down a hall,

"This place is huge. I know I'm from a small town, but are all city police Departments this big?" Laura asked, looking around, Danny shook her head,

"No, not even close, but Silas is an old city, and this actually used to be a mansion of some old, wealthy guy with too much money. He died without an heir, and the city decided to use it as a police station."

"Cool!" Laura breathed. Danny led her through a door labelled "Evidence Filing". A pretty, curly haired woman (and another redhead) was typing at a computer, but looked up when they entered.

"Danny! Good morning. Who is this?"

"Perry, meet Laura Hollis. She's a new detective who just transferred to Silas. Laura, this is Lola Perry. She's in charge of filing evidence, which I'm pretty sure is what she was put on this earth to do. She's cool, just don't mess with her obsessive organization." Perry looked mildly affronted,

"It's not obsessive, I'm just...thorough." Danny nodded,

"Of course, my mistake. Anyway, I was just showing Laura where you were. Is LaFontaine in the lab today?" Perry rolled her eyes, but her wide smile ruined the effect,

"Aren't they always? They live for their job." Danny smiled back,

"They aren't always in the lab. Sometimes they go for a visit to the basement." Perry's smile turned to a look of distaste and Laura had to ask,

"What's in the basement?"

"Dead people." Perry muttered,

"The coroner's office," Danny clarified, "there's one guy down there, he's also the pathologist. Damn good at his job, but hopefully you won't have to meet him for a while."

"Yeah, I would like to avoid that if possible." Laura confessed, Danny put a hand on her shoulder and guided her out of the room with a quick "bye" to Perry. They continued down the hallway a short way before turning into a door marked "Forensics Lab". There were several people milling around, but Danny made a beeline straight for someone with short hair examining something in a microscope, (and they had red hair too! Was there something in the water here?)

"LaFontaine, I have someone for you to meet." LaFontaine looked up at them,

"Hey, Danny! Good to see you. Who's the new person?"

"LaFontaine, this is Laura Hollis, our newest detective. Laura this is-"

"I'm LaFontaine, the head geek in charge of this lab." Laura shook their hand,

"LaFontaine is the one you want to go to if you need something done fast." Danny told Laura, LaFontaine put on a look of mock disapproval,

"Detective Lawrence, are you suggesting that I cut corners for your friend here?" Danny laughed,

"Of course not, how could you even accuse me of such a thing?" LaFontaine was about to respond, but they were called away by one of their coworkers.

"Talk to you guys later!" They called, turning around with a swish of their white lab coat. Laura followed Danny out of the lab and Danny led her back to her desk.

"Any idea when my partner will be here?" Laura asked, Danny shrugged,

"She usually shows up around ten."

"_Ten?_ Isn't this one of your best detectives? What kind of police officer shows up at ten?" Danny smiled at her,

"If you're getting this agitated before meeting her, I'm not sure how long you're going to last."

"What do you mean?" Laura asked, Danny looked hesitant, but leaned forward and lowered her voice,

"Carmilla can be...difficult. The reason she doesn't have a partner is because she chases them off. Anybody assigned to be her partner eventually requests either a partner change or a transfer. You're the first new partner she's had in about six months, because they only assign people to her when nobody else is free." Danny grimaced, "Try to stick through it, okay? When someone new comes along, they'll probably put you with them instead."

"I'll be fine," Laura assured her, "I'm tougher than I look, and pretty stubborn. I'm not going to let anyone stop me from doing my job." Danny grinned at her,

"I'm glad to hear it. I look forward to working with you, Detective Hollis." Danny's phone beeped and she pulled it out,

"Sorry, I've got to get back to Elsie. Today's your first day, so use it to get yourself settled in. If you have any questions feel free to find me."

"Thanks, Danny, that's sweet of you." Danny smiled and turned,

"If you need me, I'll probably be either at my desk or the gym. Anyone around can show you the way to the gym if you ask." She said over her shoulder,

"Thanks!" Laura called after her.

Laura looked around for a moment before sitting down at her desk. She turned on the computer and started making it hers, changing from the default password (which was the utterly predictable silasPD), changing her background, setting up her icons the way she was used to. She was scrolling through her email when someone finally came over.

The stranger was a small woman, only an inch or two taller than Laura herself. She had dark hair and eyes, and pale skin. She was also beautiful. Not the everyday "oh, she looks nice" beautiful, but the kind of beautiful that takes you aback for a moment while your brain processes the fact that someone is actually that attractive. The woman didn't even glance in Laura's direction, moving a stack of papers from the chair to the already overflowing desk and sitting down.

Laura suppressed a sigh, it was time to meet her new partner.

"Hi! Carmilla, right? I'm Laura, your new partner." Carmilla looked at her,

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed."

"Well, I'm looking forward to working with you." Laura persevered, determined to get off to the best possible start with her new partner.

"That's only because you don't know me yet, Cutie." Carmilla told her with a small smirk, Laura laughed nervously, because that had to be a joke, right?

"So, I hear you come in at ten every day. You must have a lot of confidence if you're not worried about starting the day so late." Carmilla grabbed one of the books from the pile on her desk, disregarding the nameplate that fell off onto the surrounding pile of paper and trash. She opened it and stuck her nose in before answering,

"It's not confidence, Cupcake, I just hate waking up early."

"Okay then..." Laura was seriously running out of patience. She didn't expect this girl to like her, but could she at least be polite? How were they supposed to work together? The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, Carmilla seemed unconcerned with anything outside of her book, and Laura was trying to think of a conversation topic that would actually get her new partner talking.

"You can go home, by the way." Carmilla said suddenly,

"What?" Laura asked, was this Carmilla's way of saying she didn't want a partner?

"It's your first day. Nobody is actually going to make you work. You can go ahead and go home."

"Wouldn't that be, I don't know, irresponsible? Not to mention it's pretty unprofessional." Carmilla shrugged,

"Suit yourself, Cupcake, it was just a suggestion. But if you are going to hang out here, you might as well at least find something better to do than sit twiddling your thumbs." Laura stood up,

"Yeah, that sounds like a slightly better idea." She huffed and walked off in the direction Danny had gone when she left. She passed by a few people before she saw Danny, who seemed to be in a heated discussion with another detective. Elsie was sitting at her desk across from the two of them, watching with a bored expression that said this was a common occurrence. Elsie's eyes met Laura's and she stood up,

"Hey, Laura, you settling in okay?" Danny turned around and, ignoring the man she had been arguing with walked over to Laura,

"Did you finally meet your partner?" Laura laughed,

"Yeah. You weren't kidding when you said she was difficult." Danny smiled sympathetically,

"Well, we're both dealing with _difficult people,_" she shot the man she'd been arguing with a dirty look, "Want me to show you the way to the gym? We can hit stuff until we feel better." Laura giggled,

"Sure, why not?" They turned to leave, but the man came over,

"Hey Psycho, aren't you going to introduce us?" Danny sighed,

"Well, I really wasn't, but if it'll make you leave, Kirsch, this is Laura Hollis. Laura, this is Kirsch. He's another detective, but I'm pretty sure that's mostly due to a clerical error." Kirsch scowled,

"Yeah, real clever, Psycho. Good to meet you Laura, if you ever need a hand, come grab me." He walked away and Danny pulled Laura in the direction of the gym.

Danny was definitely right, too, hitting things did make Laura feel better.

_**Carmilla**_

March 7, 2015, 10:37 a.m. Silas City PD

Carmilla came over to her desk. She had showed up even later than usual today, just to see what her new partner's reaction would be. The small woman was already there, typing away at her computer. Carmilla didn't know exactly what she was doing, and didn't really care. She sat down at her own desk without a word. She could feel the new girl's eyes on her, and she would normally have ignored her, but they had to tackle a case today and the chief's orders very explicitly said that she had to work with the fresh meat.

"We have a case."

"What?"

"A case, you know, those things we solve? You are a detective, right?" Laura's face scrunched up as she frowned. Carmilla smirked, bothering this one would be fun.

"I know that, what's the case?"

"Missing Persons. I've been working on it for a few days, but now I'm supposed to play nice with you, so buckle up, Creampuff." Carmilla pulled out the relevant folder from the mess on her desk (just because it was messy doesn't mean she can't find what she needs),

"We're looking for a Betty Spielsdorf. Here's her picture, plus all the information I have." Laura leaned forward and grabbed the folder, opening it up, when she looked inside, she gasped.

"Something wrong, Cupcake?" Carmilla asked, trying to recall if there was anything particularly shocking in the file,

"I met her, a few days ago. When I first came to Silas." Laura looked at Carmilla with wide eyes,

"When was this?" Carmilla demanded,

"March first." Carmilla chewed her lip. That was the same day the girl had been reported as missing.

Well, it may just be a fluke, but at least her partner was good for something.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I planned to update Wednesday, but I might lose power due to weather, so early update!

**Laura**

March 7, 2015, 1:06 p.m. Silas Train Station

The investigation was not going well. They had asked around and tried to find as much information as possible, but even the surveillance tapes from the station hadn't been much help.

"Come on, Cupcake, let's get coffee and go over this one more time." Carmilla led the way to one of the cafe's in the station and ordered a large black coffee. Laura got a hot chocolate and followed her to a table.

"Okay," Carmilla said, "So, Betty Spielsdorf was officially declared missing at 6:26 p.m. March 1st," Laura nodded, listening carefully. Despite her terrible social skills, Carmilla took her job seriously,

"You saw her at around what time?"

"8:30, two hours after she went missing." Laura answered immediately, Carmilla nodded,

"Okay, the surveillance showed that she went into a camera blind spot, then disappeared somewhere in that area. It's just a hallway, no exits, but she disappeared from that spot." Laura sighed,

"So we're searching for someone who apparently evaporated." Carmilla shook her head,

"There's no such thing as an impossible case. We're missing something. We'll take one last thorough look around, and then head back to the station." They both chugged their drinks and stood up. Carmilla led the way away and Laura followed after her.

She may not like spending time with her partner, but Carmilla was damn good at her job.

March 7, 2015, 5:08 p.m. Silas PD

Carmilla and Laura came back to the station in low spirits. Despite their best efforts, they still had no leads, and Carmilla seemed even broodier because of it.

They moved to their desks and started getting ready to go home for the day. Almost immediately, Kirsch and another man came up to their desk.

"Laura! And Carm-sexy...We got news for you." Carmilla shot him a disgusted glare, but otherwise did not react to the moniker. Laura looked up at Kirsch,

"Nice to see you again Kirsch, who is your friend?" Kirsch turned to her,

"Oh, right. This is Will, my partner. He's cool." He seemed more creepy to Laura, but she decided to withhold judgement for now.

"Just tell us the news, beefcake, and it had better be important."

"It is," Will said quietly, "We have another missing person. Here's the information." He passed Carmilla a folder and she took it with a small nod.

"Thanks, you can go now." Kirsch looked disappointed but he nodded and turned away, Will smirked and gave a small wave before turning and following. Carmilla opened up the folder and Laura moved in to look over her shoulder.

"So, we've got another missing girl. Officially reported as missing at 4:26 p.m. today." Carmilla sighed, "Okay, this Natalie girl was last seen at the train station. Shit." Laura looked at her partner,

"Do you think the two of them are related?" Carmilla looked at her,

"No, Cupcake, I think that two girls missing from the same place is a _perfectly natural_ occurrence." Laura glared at her,

"Fine, so what do we do?" Carmilla stood up and tossed her bag over her shoulder,

"We go home, get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow we come in and figure out this damn thing." She swept out of the room and Laura stared after her.

It would be really nice if she could at least try being polite.

**Carmilla**

March 8, 2015, 4:52 p.m. Silas PD

Carmilla and Laura had just gotten back to the station after spending the day at the train station. Again. At least it had the perk of curbing Laura's annoying enthusiasm. As soon as they got to their desks Laura sat down without a word and put her head down on her desk. Carmilla crushed down the spark of sympathy she felt and moved to her own desk. There was a new folder neatly placed on top of the stack of books. A small sticky note said "relevant to current case" in an uncomfortably familiar handwriting.

Carmilla sighed and picked it up.

"Shit..." she breathed, Laura glanced up,

"What?" Carmilla silently passed her the the folder. Laura flipped through it quickly,

"Oh, crap." She put her head back down, "Great, not only did we spend the entire day at the station and find _nothing_, but we also have another disappearance. Yesterday at 12:23 p.m. We were _there _at that time. This..." she glanced at the file, "Sarah-Jane girl disappeared practically from right under our noses!" Carmilla sighed, she could understand Laura's frustration. Laura sat with her head on her desk. Great, now Carmilla really did feel kind of bad for her.

Carmilla stood up and headed to the break room. She needed coffee. When she got her tall cup of coffee she glanced at the hot chocolate machine and sighed, grabbing a cup of that too.

Carmilla made her way back to Laura and put the hot chocolate down next to her. Laura looked at the hot chocolate, then at Carmilla, looking slightly confused. Carmilla shrugged,

"Look, I know it kind of sucks when cases don't go well, but if you freak out and have a nervous breakdown, you'll be worse than useless. Go home today, relax, rest. We'll figure out what's going on tomorrow."

"Three girls isn't a coincidence," Laura said quietly, "Someone is taking them." Carmilla considered giving a snarky remark (god knows she had enough of them), but decided to cut Laura some slack. Carmilla didn't want a partner, but Laura was less obnoxious than some she'd had.

"Yeah, probably. We'll find him, it's what we do." Laura offered a small smile, and Carmilla found herself returning it automatically.

This didn't mean she was okay with having a partner. Carmilla was used to working alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **If you are not okay with mention of dead bodies, physical harm, restraints, or anything along those lines, do not read.

**Laura**

March 9th, 2015, 8:27 a.m. Silas City PD

Laura came into the office late that day. Normally she would come in around between six and seven, but if her partner wasn't going to come in until ten in the morning, she might as well get a little extra sleep. She had barely sat down at her desk, when LaFontaine came over.

"Laura! Hey, you're working on that missing persons thing, right?" Laura looked at them,

"Yeah, why? Do you know anything?"

"Well, yes. Uh, why don't you come with me to the basement, and I can show you what I know." Laura felt a sinking sensation in her stomach,

"The basement? Isn't that where the coroner's office is?" LaFontaine nodded,

"Yes..." Laura groaned and stood up,

"Okay, I'm coming. Although there is literally _nothing_ good we could see down there." LaFontaine shook their head as they led Laura into the hallway and down a flight of stairs,

"Are you kidding? It's great down there, the entire autopsy procedure is fascinating! And our coroner is a pretty cool guy too." Laura liked LaFontaine's enthusiasm, even if the subject was a little...creepy.

"Well, as exciting as dead bodies are, if it's involved in a case, it's probably not a good thing." LaFontaine's face fell,

"Yeah, I guess. Come on, we're here." They opened a door and Laura followed them into the room. A sharp, medicinal smell hit her nose, and she scrunched up her face.

"JP, I brought Detective Hollis. Laura's with Carmilla on that missing person's case." A man (who had been been bending over some tools that Laura didn't even _want_ to know the purpose of) came over and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm JP, the coroner." Laura smiled,

"Nice to meet you too. Would you mind maybe telling me why I'm here?" JP brought her over to the table in the middle of the room. It was covered with a blanket, but there was definitely a body under there. JP lifted up the blanket and moved it down, uncovering the person's face. Laura gasped. She recognized the face, it was Betty Spielsdorf.

"How did she-" Laura gestured at the cadaver, unable to finish her question. JP rolled the blanket down further, exposing Betty's torso. Laura had to bite her lip to stop herself from making a sound, LaFontaine didn't even bother,

"Shit!" They exclaimed, leaning in for a closer look, "So I'm guessing this wasn't an accident."

There was a stab wound, straight to the heart, but that wasn't the worst of it. Betty's body was covered in cuts, forming an intricate pattern that made Laura think of flames.

"The cuts were made _before_ she was killed." JP told her, "They aren't very deep, it was definitely the chest wound that killed her." He covered the body back up and Laura breathed a sigh of relief. She had seen bodies before (she was a cop, after all), but that didn't mean she enjoyed the experience. LaFontaine looked slightly disappointed, but they turned to JP when he continued speaking,

"Estimated time of death was between six and seven pm yesterday evening. I'll need to finish looking at the body before I know anything else, but is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"Two things," Laura said, putting on her best detective voice, "Where was the body found, and was it moved?" JP opened his mouth, but LaFontaine beat him to it,

"The Lustig Theatre. Body wasn't moved. Danny's getting a warrant for you now." Laura nodded and turned to leave the room,

"Okay, now I need to call my partner. There is no way in Hell or Hogwarts that I'm letting her come in late today."

**Carmilla**

March 9, 2015, 10:02 a.m. Lustig Theatre

Laura was waiting for her in front of the theatre, tapping her foot impatiently. Carmilla took her time parking her black SUV and getting out. Laura had woken her up with her phone call at nine a.m. when she was still sleeping, so Carmilla was feeling a little sadistic.

Laura came up to meet her on the sidewalk,

"What took you so long? I've been waiting for half an hour!" Carmilla shrugged,

"You woke me up. I can take as long as I want." Laura glared at her and Carmilla snickered,

"That bunched up little face you make when you're angry is hilarious, Buttercup." Laura huffed and looked away. Carmilla smiled, but didn't say anything else as they entered the theatre. The search team was already there, she guessed the forensics team was already at the actual crime scene. The owner of the theatre, along with the actors and staff were sitting on the steps, watching the proceedings.

Carmilla made her way over to them. It was time to actually do her job. She and Laura questioned everybody, which, by the way, took _hours_. Everyone's alibi's matched up. Nobody was missing. Nobody saw anything. By the time she left that evening, Carmilla was not in the best of moods. This case was not going to be easy, and to make things worse, she got a text from Laura telling her to "come to work on time tomorrow!"

Carmilla resolved to sleep an extra hour the next day.

**Laura**

March 14, 2015, 8:24 a.m. Silas City PD

Laura came into work frustrated. It had been five days of fruitless investigation. And to make matters worse, Carmilla still refused to come into work before 10 a.m. and that was on a good day.

She went over to her desk and found LaFontaine waiting for her.

"Hey, so I have some news." Laura looked at them hopefully,

"_Please_ tell me it's good news?" LaFontaine looked apologetic,

"...No. We've checked _everywhere_ on the crime scene and the body, but whoever did this didn't leave any fingerprints. They were wore gloves. We'll keep looking, but I don't think we're going to find anything new." Laura sighed,

"Do you have even a little good news for me?"

"Well...JP and I found traces of something on Betty's body, but we're still figuring out what it is. We don't even know if it will lead to anything."

"Well, it might end up being the only lead we have. Thanks for telling me what you know." Laura told them. LaFontaine nodded and clapped her on the shoulder before they left the room.

Laura settled down to wait for Carmilla, she had learned the hard way that trying to convince her to come in at a normal hour only made the problem worse.

Carmilla finally came in around ten, which was as early as it got for her. She started shuffling things around on her desk, completely ignoring Laura. Which was how their days usually began.

"LaFontaine came by." Laura told her. Carmilla glanced up at her,

"Did they have anything remotely useful to say?"

"Not really," Laura admitted, "Whoever our mysterious criminal is, they didn't leave any fingerprints. There are traces of _something_ on the body, but we have no idea what it is yet."

"Incompetent idiots." Carmilla growled.

"What is with you?" Laura asked, "Are you so perfect that you never make mistakes? They're trying, okay? We all are. I'm sorry that none of us are so perfect that this case is simple, but there is only so much to go by, and LaFontaine's job takes time." Carmilla glared at her,

"We don't have time. You get that, right? The longer the dimwit squad takes to do their jobs, the more innocent lives are put at stake. We have two missing girls, who disappeared from the same place as Betty. How long do you think it will be before we find them? I don't know about you, but I'd rather find them breathing. That's our job." Carmilla held Laura's gaze for a long moment before she turned on her heel and stormed off.

"I'm hungry, I'm going to go get some food." She called over her shoulder. Laura didn't even have time to respond before Carmilla was out of sight. She didn't have a lot of time to think about it though, Danny was coming over.

"Hey, how's your first case going?" Laura grimaced,

"Not good. We know next to nothing." Danny smiled sympathetically,

"We all hit walls sometimes. You want to go over what you _do_ know? Maybe some fresh perspective will help." Laura grinned and opened her notes. She and Danny went over every detail of the case, from Betty's disappearance, to her death and discovery at the Lustig theatre.

"I think my brain has melted." Laura declared, Danny giggled,

"Come on, you just need to think about where you need to go next." Laura looked at her blankly and Danny pointed to her notes.

"Look, all of the girls went missing from the train station, right?" Laura nodded,

"Right."

"But that isn't where Betty was found." Danny continued, "Betty was found in the Lustig Theatre, which was searched, but we didn't find anything. So, maybe we need to find a connection between the two buildings." Laura looked up,

"Oh my god, Danny, you're a genius!" Danny grinned at her,

"Oh, yeah, we're totally geniuses. You know I think we make a pretty good team." Laura nodded,

"Yeah, totally. I mean, you're one of the most amazing people here...and by amazing I mean, you know, a really nice person who helps other people out. That kind of amazing." She was babbling and she knew it, but Danny was watching her with a small smile on her face and Laura faded into silence.

"Thanks," Danny stood up, "So, I should probably go, but if you wanted to hang out later we could totally go out for dinner tomorrow? I know a restaurant that serves amazing pie." Laura's heart swelled for a moment before she realized what the date was.

"Um...tomorrow doesn't really work for me. Maybe some other time?" Danny nodded, but she looked a little disappointed,

"Yeah, no worries. I guess I'll see you later?" Laura nodded and Danny walked away. Laura was too busy berating herself for her excruciating awkwardness too notice that Carmilla returned until her partner cleared her throat,

"So, why'd you turn the amazon down? Even Kirsch would be able to tell that you like her." Laura turned to Carmilla, not sure if she should be indignant or amused. She was definitely a little embarrassed.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Carmilla shrugged, looking completely unconcerned,

"I can't help it if I happen to overhear something. Trust me, you're not so interesting that I would go out of my way to know more about your life." Laura didn't really have an answer for that but, fortunately, Carmilla didn't seem to expect one.

"It's my birthday tomorrow. Nobody here knows, so I didn't want Danny to find out and feel like she needs to celebrate it." Carmilla actually looked up at that, and she raised one of her perfect eyebrows,

"Well, what will you be doing? You just moved here. It's not like you actually know anybody well enough to go out with them." Laura shrugged,

"I'll call my dad, he made me promise to. Other than that, I'll just relax at home. It's our day off, after all. And Kirsch told me that he and Will would cover our case for a day, since they aren't too busy. But really, I'm an adult, there comes a time to stop making a big deal about birthdays. " Laura wasn't going to admit that this was the first birthday she would ever be spending alone.

Her partner might be mysterious, but Laura at least knew Carmilla well enough not to give her more opportunities to tease her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Laura**

March 15, 2015, 9:33 a.m. Crowley Hall Apartment Complex, Apt. 307

Laura rolled out of bed, grateful for the opportunity to sleep in. The first thing she did was check her phone. No new messages. She had told Kirsch to tell her if anything new came up, but she supposed no news was good news.

Laura went into her kitchen and opened her fridge. It was pretty empty, she hadn't had a lot of time to go grocery shopping. At least there was somewhere to be today.

She grabbed a granola bar and wolfed it down before heading to her bathroom. She took her time in the shower, enjoying the fact that she didn't have to rush.

When she was done, Laura headed to the supermarket. She stocked up on enough food for the next week or two, she didn't know when she'd next get a day off. Laura hesitated at the bakery, but then bought a cupcake. It was her birthday after all.

Laura went back home and put all her groceries away. Her kitchen looked a little less depressing now. She jumped when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Laur, how's my girl?" Laura laughed,

"Dad, what time is it there? Did you really stay up this late just to call me on my birthday?"

"No, I just woke up in the middle of the night and figured it was a good time." Laura shook her head, but smiled. It was good to hear from her dad, she missed him.

"Yeah, it's great. I'm getting pretty well settled in."

"You haven't said much in your emails. A dad could start to worry."

"Sorry, there just hasn't been much to say. I have a complete jerkface partner and a nearly impossible case."

"Well, _nearly_ impossible has never really been enough to stop you. I'm sure you'll figure it out. And I'm sure your jerkface partner will warm up to you. Everyone always does." Laura had never missed her father as much as that moment.

"Thanks, dad. I love you."

"Love you too, Laur. Now, I'll let you get back to your birthday."

"And I'll let you get back to sleep." Laura heard her dad laughing before he hung up the phone.

Laura put the phone down and sighed, this was going to be a long day.

**Carmilla**

March 15, 2015, 6:09 p.m. Crowley Hall Apartment Complex

Carmilla looked up at the old apartment building, wondering why she was even here. Maybe she just felt bad that Laura was alone on her birthday. Besides, she really didn't have anything better to do. Carmilla clenched her jaw and pulled open the door. This wasn't one of those nice apartment buildings you had to be buzzed into. Carmilla made a beeline straight for the stairs and made her way to the third floor.

She didn't even hesitate before knocking on Laura's door. She had checked the apartment number before she left. Twice.

The door opened, and Laura looked surprised when she saw Carmilla,

"Carmilla! Is there something wrong? Did you get a call about the case?"

"Calm down, Cupcake. I'm here unofficially. Get changed, we're going out." Laura looked at her,

"What? Why?"

"Because it's your birthday, and I had nothing better to do. Besides, you'd probably just sit here and cry if I left you alone." Laura pouted, but opened the door wider,

"Well, come on in. I guess I'll change." Carmilla came in and immediately flopped down onto Laura's couch. She looked around casually,

"Not a lot of time to unpack?" There were boxes stacked against the wall, and it seemed that only the necessities were set up.

"Yeah, too busy with work." Laura called from her bedroom. She came out wearing a red dress, with lace at the hem and neck.

"So...is this okay? Or should I wear something else?" Carmilla stared for a moment before she found her tongue,

"No, that's fine. You look good. Come on, my car is parked outside." Carmilla swept out of the room, not even bothering to check if Laura was following. If she wasn't coming, she wouldn't have changed.

Carmilla reached her car and held the passenger side for Laura.

"How chivalrous." The tiny blonde commented as she slid in. Carmilla shut the door after her and went around to the driver's side,

"If chivalry were limited to men, we'd be out of jobs." Laura giggled, and Carmilla had to fight the smile that was threatening to break out. Something was very wrong, she didn't usually have to remind herself that _she didn't want a partner. _

They got to the restaurant and Laura followed her inside.

"Reservation?" The host asked, without looking up, Carmilla cleared her throat.

"Carmilla! It's been a while. Come on in." he led them to a table in the corner,

"A waitress will be right out." Carmilla nodded and the man left. She turned back to Laura, who was looking at her questioningly, Carmilla shrugged,

"A while back I worked a case. The owner of this place was the victim, he gives me the royal treatment when I come in."

"Wow...that is...impressive." Carmilla shrugged,

"It's nothing really." The waitress arrived with their menus and Carmilla took it with a small smile.

"Get whatever you want. He gives me a discount, too." Laura smiled at her, and Carmilla returned it automatically. Laura seemed to have that effect on her.

They enjoyed dinner, and Laura was entirely too excited by dessert, but for some reason Carmilla couldn't find it in her to be annoyed. They were waiting for the check when both of their phones rang. Carmilla pulled it out and cursed softly when she saw the number.

"Will. What's going on?"

"It's about your case. That missing girl, Natalie? She's here." Carmilla felt a sour taste in her mouth that had nothing to do with food.

"Alive?" She asked, there was silence for several moments before Will answered.

"No." Carmilla cursed again,

"Okay, Laura and I will be there ASAP." She hung up the phone and glanced across the table at Laura, who was just hanging up her own phone.

"Let me guess, the big puppy called, telling you we need to get to the station?" Laura nodded. Carmilla grimaced and put a wad of bills on the table.

"You guys can keep the change." She said quickly, as she passed their confused waitress. She opened the car door, and Laura slid in again. The entire motion was smooth, as though they'd done it hundreds of times.

I don't want a partner. Carmilla reminded herself again.

**Laura**

March 15, 2015, 8:12 p.m. Silas City PD

Laura and Carmilla came straight down to the basement when they reached the station. JP and LaFontaine were both there, along with two bodies. LaFontaine looked at them with thinly veiled amusement.

"You know, you didn't need to dress up, these guys aren't judging." Carmilla glared at them,

"It was our day off. Some of us like to go out occasionally." LaFontaine shook their head and JP beckoned them closer.

"So, you were told about Natalie," JP said, uncovering one of the two bodies. Laura forced herself to look. It was definitely the girl from the pictures she had seen. Her torso had those same flame-like patterns and stab to the heart.

"Same MO as last time," Carmilla said quietly, "Are we looking at a serial killer here?" JP shrugged,

"It's a distinct possibility. But here, you need to see this too. Remember that Sarah-Jane girl?" Laura felt like she was going to throw up,

"Is she here too?" She asked, JP covered up Natalie and moved over to the other body. He uncovered the head, it was definitely Sarah-Jane.

"Does her body have the...you know..." Laura gestured towards Natalie. LaFontaine shook their head,

"No. Sarah-Jane fell off the Lustig balcony." Carmilla sighed,

"Let me guess, Natalie was _also _found in the Lustig?" LaFontaine smiled,

"Can't put anything past you, Detective." Carmilla shook her head,

"Sarah-Jane is the only death that's different. Maybe that means they made a mistake." LaFontaine nodded,

"I'll find out everything I can. You guys go home and get some rest. You're probably going to need it."

Laura went home that night and collapsed into bed. Today had been one of her more interesting birthdays.


	5. Chapter 5

**Carmilla**

March 16, 2015, 10:03 a.m. Silas City PD

Carmilla came into the station and could tell immediately that something was wrong. Most of the detectives were either running around like chickens with their heads cut off, or sitting at their desks looking scared. Or angry. She made her way to her own desk, where Laura was waiting for her.

"Morning, Cupcake. What's going on?"

"Elsie's missing." Carmilla felt as though she'd just swallowed an ice cube.

"From the train station?" Laura nodded and Carmilla cursed. Elsie was one of the few detectives who actually seemed to like her. While Carmilla didn't give a damn about popularity, she still didn't like the closest thing she had to a friend in this place being in danger.

They were interrupted when Danny came up to them. Carmilla moved out of the taller woman's way. There was a look in Danny's eyes that made even Carmilla hesitate to speak, just in case she ended up with broken bones.

"Guys, this is your case, right? You have leads, you can find Elsie. You've got to have some idea where to find her! You never know when they might decide to kill her!"

Laura opened her mouth, but Carmilla stepped in quickly,

"Elsie's not in any danger yet." Danny turned to her,

"What do you mean?" Even Laura looked confused. Carmilla rolled her eyes,

"Look, Betty died exactly one week after being reported as missing, so did Natalie. Sarah Jane's death looked more like an accident. As long as whoever we're dealing with isn't careless again, we just need to find Elsie before the week is up."

"And how close are you to finding out where she is?" Danny asked. Carmilla and Laura were saved from answering that one by LaFontaine arriving with Kirsch.

"Great, you're both here." LaFontaine said, Laura looked up at them,

"Please tell me you have news?" She begged. Carmilla was not going to admit that it was kind of cute. Kind of.

"Well, remember when I said I found trace amounts of something on Betty? Well whatever it is is on Sarah-Jane and Natalie as well," LaFontaine told them, "We're working on figuring out what it is. We also found some fingerprints on Sarah-Jane, I guess she really was an accident. We're working on those too."

"See, Psycho?" Kirsch asked, "That's more leads than they've had, like, since this case started. They'll find Elsie in no time." Danny looked up at him and Carmilla thought that they were about to start bickering again. She was bracing herself for another headache, but Danny just nodded,

"Thanks, Kirsch."

Well, Carmilla may want to vomit, but at least the amazon was calming down.

**Laura**

March 16, 2015, 5:33 p.m. Silas City PD

Laura was just getting ready to leave. Usually she left a little earlier than this, but with an officer missing, things just felt personal. She made her way outside, and had just left the building when someone touched her shoulder. She jumped about a foot in the air.

"Relax, spaz." Carmilla said with a small smile, "It's just me."

"Please don't sneak up on me." Laura begged, she was definitely jumpy enough as it was. Carmilla didn't even have the grace to look sorry, she was staring at Laura with an amused smile on her face,

"I just came because you were kind of freaking out today, so I'm making sure that you're okay. I can't have my partner burning out from stress."

"First, of course I'm freaking out, Elsie's missing. It just feels a lot closer when it's one of us missing and possibly being brutally tortured. Second...you haven't really been a team player so far, why do you care now?" Carmilla shrugged,

"Well, if you left, who knows who they'd stick me with. The devil you know, you know?" Carmilla started to walk away before turning around, "Oh, and on that note, message me when you get home. Just in case our sick psychopath is targeting police officers now." The brunette turned around and continued walking away without even a wave.

Laura made her way home, jumping at the smallest sounds. When she got home, she locked and bolted her door. Then she remembered Carmilla.

'I'm home. Nobody murdered me.' There, message sent. Laura had just gotten into bed when her phone vibrated,

'Good to know. Sleep tight, Cupcake.'

Laura smiled slightly and fell asleep.

March 17, 2015, 7:02 a.m. Silas City PD

Laura arrived at the police station, and noticed Carmilla's car pulling up. Laura came up to meet her on the sidewalk.

"This is an early start for you." She commented,

"I can get up early when I really need to." Carmilla told her casually. They went inside and up to the detective's office. They were working on the case, but they didn't make much progress.

"We're not going to figure out anything until Thing 1 gets us those lab results." Carmilla muttered. Laura furrowed her brow,

"Thing 1? Who's Thing 2?"

"That girl from evidence...oh, speak of the devil." Perry was approaching them as fast as she possibly could without running,

"Have either of you seen LaFontaine?" She asked, Laura shook her head,

"Have you checked their second home?" Carmilla asked, Laura tried to subtly kick her under their desks, Perry was clearly a nervous wreck, it wasn't the time for Carmilla's sarcasm.

"They haven't shown up at the lab, they aren't picking up their home phone, and the last text I got from them was 'Walking by the train station, I'll keep an eye out for kidnappers.' If this is a joke, it is in incredibly bad taste!"

Laura and Carmilla exchanged a glance,

"Oh, crap." Laura groaned.


	6. Chapter 6

**Laura**

March 17, 2015, 9:36 p.m. Silas City PD

It was late. Very late. Laura and Carmilla were the only detectives left in the room. Perry was with them, but she hadn't been able to help much. In the absence of something to do, she had taken to tidying Carmilla's desk. Laura suspected that this might be the first time it was cleaned.

"We know nothing," Carmilla sighed, "We have no leads, and now the person who was supposed to fix that is missing." Laura paused,

"Oh my god, you're right. We do know nothing."

"Thanks for cheering me up, Sunshine." Laura shook her head,

"No, I mean _we_ know nothing, but maybe LaFontaine figured something out." Carmilla looked up,

"How would we find out?"

"You could check their computer!" Perry chimed in, "They always write everything down immediately, so they don't forget."

"Alright," Carmilla stood up, "Time for a little field trip." They went down to the forensics lab and headed straight for LaFontaine's computer. Carmilla started it up and cursed,

"I don't suppose you know the password?" She asked, Perry started to shake her head then hesitated,

"I might. Maybe. Let me try." She leaned forward and her fingers clicked on the keyboard. The computer took a second, then they were in.

"Wow, how did you figure out what it was?" Laura asked, while Carmilla sat down at the computer, Perry's cheeks turned pink,

"I typed in my name." Laura patted the other woman on the shoulder,

"Don't worry, we'll find them. You go home and get some rest. You look exhausted. I promise I'll text you if we find anything." Perry nodded and left the room. Laura turned back to Carmilla,

"You find anything?"

"The only thing related to our case that we didn't know before is small. Really small. Remember that substance that the Lab Rat was trying to identify? Turns out it's limestone."

"Limestone? Why would the bodies have limestone on them?" Carmilla shook her head,

"I don't know. Unless..." She logged out of the computer and stood up,

"There are limestone caves under the city. They used to be used by smugglers, but now they're abandoned. Maybe that's where they're holding the victims."

"Do you know how to get into them?" Laura asked, Carmilla nodded,

"Come on, I'll drive."

**Carmilla**

March 17, 2015, 10:52 p.m. Silas Limestone Caves

Carmilla pulled up just outside the city limits. There was an entrance to the caves with a large "KEEP OUT" sign posted. Laura got out of the passenger side door.

"Looks pretty dark. You got a flashlight?" Carmilla reached into her back seat and pulled one out,

"Of course, Cutie. Come on." She lead the way into the caves. They headed in a somewhat straight line for a while, before reaching a fork.

"Which way do you want to go?" Laura asked,

"Let's try going right," Carmilla decided, "if we don't find anything, we can always double back and go left." Laura nodded and started walking again, Carmilla followed. Even though she walked with confidence, the tiny woman looked even smaller surrounded by darkness. Carmilla smirked as she had an idea. She flicked the switch on the flashlight, plunging them into complete darkness.

"Carmilla?" Laura called, Carmilla stayed silent for a few more moments, "Carmilla, if this is a joke now is-"

"RAAAHR!" Carmilla yelled, Laura let out a satisfying shriek and Carmilla turned the flashlight on again. Laura glared at her,

"Smooth, Sundance, smooth." Carmilla said, grinning,

"Really? You pick now to develope a sense of humor?" Laura asked, Carmilla shrugged,

"I always had a sense of humor, Cupcake, now was just the best time to show it. Come on, we have some people to find." She started walking again, and Laura followed her, grumbling. Carmilla wasn't really listening, but she was fairly certain she heard the words "obnoxious" and "uncultured swine". She stopped smiling soon, however. The path in the cave split off three ways from where they were standing.

"Which way do we go this time?" Laura asked her. Carmilla chewed her lip,

"Back." She decided, "We need to come back in the morning."

"We can't just leave!" Laura insisted,

"Hate to break it to you, Buttercup, but we don't have a choice," Carmilla told her, "It's a maze in here, it's the middle of the night, and we are completely unprepared. We're turning back." Laura slumped her shoulders, but nodded and followed Carmilla back to the entrance. They got into the car, and Carmilla drove Laura home.

"Look, meet me at 9:30 tomorrow morning in front of the caves. I'll bring supplies, we can search properly then." Laura nodded,

"I'll text Perry. She's probably still worrying." Carmilla nodded, and Laura got out of the car. Carmilla headed home and packed some supplies before going to bed.

Hopefully, the next day they would get some answers.


	7. Chapter 7

**Carmilla**

March 18, 2015, 9:45 a.m. Silas Limestone Caves

When Carmilla reached the entrance to the caves, Laura was already there, tapping her foot impatiently.

"You're late!" She complained, Carmilla shrugged,

"I'm really not sure what else you were expecting, Cutie." Laura scowled and Carmilla smiled as she opened her trunk and took out a couple of backpacks, passing one to Laura,

"Here, take this."

"What's in here?" Laura asked,

"Rope, chalk, water bottles, a flashlight, extra batteries. You know, stuff." Carmilla said, closing her trunk,

"Well, aren't you prepared?"

"Better safe than sorry, Cupcake." They started to head into the caves, when another car pulled up. Perry got out of the driver's seat,

"Oh, good, you're still here. I thought I would miss you." she said, grabbing her own backpack and locking her car.

"What the frilly hell are you doing here?" Carmilla asked her, Perry came up to them,

"Laura told me that you would be searching the caves today. I'm coming with you."

"Perry, I told you that so you wouldn't worry, not so you could go on some daring rescue." Perry's mouth hardened into a line,

"You can't stop me from coming, LaFontaine could be in trouble, I want to help."

"Okay, listen Wonder Woman," Carmilla snapped, "you are a civilian, you are unarmed, and you want to walk into a potentially dangerous situation. What part of this sounds like a good idea to you?"

"The part where we actually do it instead of standing here arguing about it!" Perry snapped back. Carmilla opened her mouth to respond, but Laura spoke up,

"Okay, Perry? This is how it'll work. You can come with us-"

"What?" Carmilla glared at her partner,

"-but if we say that it's too dangerous, and you need to turn back, you turn back, no questions or arguments. Both of you agree?" Perry nodded emphatically, and Carmilla shrugged,

"Whatever." she muttered.

They finally started into the caves, and reached the first fork in the road.

"Wait." Carmilla said, opening her bag. She pulled out some chalk and drew a large arrow pointing the way they came.

"When we leave, we just need to follow the arrows." She explained.

"Carmilla, you're a genius!" Laura squealed. Carmilla rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's keep moving." They moved forward, marking the way back every time the path branched out. Which was a lot.

"These caves are a lot bigger than I thought." Laura said, Carmilla nodded,

"Yeah, we might need some help with-Wait. Did you hear that?" There was a faint sound nearby.

"Do you think it might be LaFontaine?" Perry asked,

"Might also be Elsie." Laura said, peering into the gloom,

"Or it could be our kidnapper. Or some kind of animal. Let's look." Carmilla moved forward, with her hand on her gun. The beam from her flashlight fell on a human form. A very familiar human form.

"LaFontaine!" Perry cried, she moved to their side and they looked up groggily,

"Perr?"

"I'm here honey, come on, let's get you out."

"My hands are tied to the wall, Perry. Besides, I can't walk, my ankle is messed up." LaFontaine said, Carmilla sighed,

"Here, let me take a look at it." Carmilla took out her swiss army knife that she carried in her pocket. It came in handy. She cut the ropes that wrapped around LaFontaine's wrists then moved to their legs. She crouched down and examined LaFontaine's ankle. It was badly swollen, "Okay, we'll help you out. Do you know where Elsie is?" LaFontaine shook their head,

"No, I haven't seen anybody since I was brought here."

"That's okay, we'll keep looking-" Laura started to say, but Carmilla cut her off,

"No, we won't. These caves are huge, looking for her will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We're going to leave this place, and call for a search team."

"Shouldn't we just call now, and keep searching while we wait?" Carmilla held up her phone,  
>"You getting reception?" Laura glanced at her own phone,<p>

"No."

"Alright then, we go with my plan." Carmilla helped LaFontaine stand up, and draped one of their arms over her shoulders. Perry hurried to their other side, and the two of them managed to get LaFontaine moving. Laura walked ahead of them with a flashlight.

"Did you see who took you?" Carmilla asked as they walked, LaFontaine shook their head,

"No. They got me from behind, I think it was chloroform. I think my ankle got hurt when they dragged me, maybe?"

"And you didn't see anybody at all? Maybe someone else who was taken, or someone who brought you food?"

"I haven't eaten at all, nobody came before you guys." Carmilla sighed and cursed. Of course they would find LaFontaine, but not get any new information.

"We'll get you out and call an ambulance. I have some protein bars in my bag, you can have some while you wait." Perry said. LaFontaine looked at her,

"Perry, your protein bars suck." Carmilla made a gagging noise. Really, the two of them were too gross.

They made it out of the caves, and Laura started calling for an ambulance. Carmilla dialled for a search party. They didn't need to wait too long before the ambulance sirens made their way to them. The ambulance pulled up, along with two cars. Danny got out of one, and Will and Kirsch climbed out of the other. The EMTs loaded LaFontaine into the ambulance. Perry climbed in with them.

"Perry! What about your car?" Laura called. Kirsch stepped forward,

"Give me the keys, I'll take it back to the station for you." Perry offered him a grateful smile and tossed him the keys. The ambulance wheeled back towards the city. Danny strode towards Laura and Carmilla,

"Did you find Elsie?"

"No, Danny, sorry. Those caves are huge, there's a search team on their way now." Laura gave a small smile.

"I'm going in now. The search team can catch up."

"Hey, we'll go in too. Six eyes are better than two...or something." Kirsch and Danny actually seemed to be getting along, for once.

"Hey, Danny, while you're partner is MIA, take mine," Will offered, "I don't mind going solo for a little while." Kirsch agreed eagerly, and Danny shrugged. Carmilla decided that this was a little too much group bonding for her,

"Come on, Cupcake, we've earned lunch. I'll buy. We can come back afterwards to see if they find anything."

Carmilla figured they'd earned a break.

**Laura**

March 18, 2015, 1:24 p.m. Pie Day Restaurant

Laura was staring at Carmilla as they ate. Wondering. Carmilla glanced up at her,

"Something on my face, Cutie?" She asked,

"I can't figure you out." Laura told her,

"How so?"

"Well, sometimes, like now, you're pretty cool and kind of nice. Other times, you're kind of..."  
>"An asshole?" Laura laughed,<p>

"You said it, not me." Carmilla smiled briefly, then sighed,

"I just, don't want a partner. It's nothing personal, in fact, you aren't as bad as some I've had. I just prefer working alone."

"Why?" Carmilla grimaced,

"Okay, Creampuff, story time. When I first became a detective I had a partner, Elle. She was a good cop, and a good friend. We did pretty well together. One time we ended up working a homicide case together, the guy was an idiot, we found him fast. He was cornered and pulled out a gun. He shot Elle, so I shot him. He survived, and she didn't." Laura felt close to tears,

"Carm, I'm so sorry." Carmilla nodded,

"Thanks. Anyway, I like working alone now, that's all there is to it. So don't take what I do personally, just find a new partner when you get the chance." Laura shook her head,

"Carmilla, you can sit there in all your apathetic glory, trying to play it cool, but now that I know the reason behind it, you aren't going to drive me away." Carmilla actually smiled a little at that,

"Should I take that as a challenge?"

"How about a promise?" Carmilla didn't seem to have a response to that, so Laura decided to take it as a victory. They finished their meals and stood up,

"Let's go back to the station, maybe there's news." Carmilla told her, Laura nodded and stood up.

Carmilla could be a pretty great partner when she wanted to be.


	8. Chapter 8

**Laura**

March 19, 2015, 8:32 a.m. Silas City PD

Laura came into the office with high hopes. The search party had combed the limestone caves thoroughly, every nook and cranny had been searched. LaFontaine was back, and had texted Laura the night before, promising that they would be in the next day. This case was starting to crack wide open.

Her spirits sank, however, when she came in and saw Danny. Kirsch was hovering over her protectively, and for once, they weren't bickering. She hurried over to them,

"They... didn't find Elsie, did they?" She knew the answer before she asked, but she still felt a pang when they both shook their heads. Danny got up abruptly,

"I'm going to the gym. I think I need to blow off some steam." Kirsch bounced up,

"Hey, maybe-" Before he could finish his sentence, Danny turned on him,

"Kirsch, I swear if you're trying to stop me because you think I'm delicate, or some other nonsense, I will destroy you. I don't need you trying to be the big strong hero helping the damsel in distress. I can take care of myself!" Kirsch looked taken aback for a moment,

_So much for not bickering, _Laura thought in dismay,

"Dude, if you think I'm helping you because you're a hottie, don't be a dumbass. I'm helping you because you're _you_. I mean, you're kind of like a bro sometimes. And I wasn't going to tell you not to go, I was going to come with you, cause you always do more when you got competition." Danny glared at him for a moment, then deflated,

"Sorry. I...thanks. Company might be good, I guess." Kirsch grinned proudly,

"No hard feelings, come on, bet I can do more push-ups than you." That did get a response out of Danny, but it lacked her usual venom. Despite everything, Laura smiled. It was good to see them getting along for once. She went to her desk to wait for Carmilla (hopefully it wouldn't be too long today). She was spared from agonizing boredom by LaFontaine limping into the room. Perry followed them closely, watching them with an expression that showed both concern, and relief. Laura stood up and went to meet them,

"LaFontaine! How are you feeling?" LaFontaine grinned,

"I'm fine, my ankle is sprained, but it beats getting sliced up and murdered, right?"

"LaFontaine!" Perry scolded. They looked slightly chagrined,

"Sorry, Perr." they turned back to Laura, "Anyway, I just came to check in with you. I'm working on that fingerprint we lifted from Sarah-Jane, it might take a day or two, but I'll tell you the second I get a match." Laura nodded,

"Hurry!" She called as Perry helped LaFontaine out, "Elsie's got three days! That's how long we have to solve the case!"

"Great. No pressure!" LaFontaine yelled back, before Perry ushered them out of the room. Laura sat back down and groaned.

Right. No pressure.

**Carmilla**

March 19, 2015, 9:47 a.m. Silas City PD

Carmilla came into the office a little early that day. She had decided that it was certainly _not_ because she was looking forward to seeing Laura. She just wanted to solve this case as soon as possible. Perfectly normal. She looked down at the drink tray in her hands. It had her usual black coffee in it, alongside a hot chocolate for Laura. That was a little harder to explain to herself. She went over to their desks and deposited the drink in front of Laura. The blonde looked up in surprise,

"Thanks." She said, taking a sip, she frowned as she put it down,

"Something wrong, Cutie?" Carmilla asked her,

"How did you know hot chocolate was my favourite?"

"You got it the first day we worked together."

"You... remembered that?" Laura seemed surprised, Carmilla shrugged and tried not to look self-conscious,

"I'm a detective, Creampuff. It's my job to notice things. Speaking of jobs, any progress on ours?"

"Well, Elsie's still missing, but LaFontaine is working on that fingerprint they lifted from Sarah-Jane's body. Hopefully we can figure out who's doing this before they hurt her." Carmilla swallowed hard. She thought they would have found Elsie yesterday. She took several deep breaths.

"Carm? What should we do now? Should we keep looking, or wait until LaFontaine is done?" Laura looked a little concerned, which was sweet, but unnecessary.

"The Lab-Rat is good, but fingerprints take time. We need to look elsewhere for now."

"Where? We thought the limestone caves were our big breakthrough, but Elsie wasn't there. That print might be the only lead we have."

"Let's look over the case from the beginning, look for something we missed, or something that still doesn't fit." Laura nodded and grabbed the case file. Carmilla looked at her desk where there was usually a notepad. It was still clean and bare from Perry's stress-cleaning. She gritted her teeth. How was she supposed to find anything?

She finally found it in one of her desk drawers, neatly stacked on top of other notepads. She looked over everything she'd written about the case, searching for something, anything.

"Hey..." Laura's voice brought her head snapping up,

"Did you find something?"

"Maybe. I was just thinking, we know that the victims were being kept in the limestone caves, right? But they all went missing from the train station. Then they turned up at the Lustig. Do you think maybe the caves connect the buildings, or something?" Carmilla nodded,

"Maybe... so someone at the theatre still might be involved. If they can get into the caves without leaving the building, they might have gotten back without anybody noticing." Carmilla drummed her fingers on her desk as she thought,

"Okay, grab the notes you took from when we questioned the theatre workers. We're going back." Laura nodded and got up to follow.

**Laura**

March 19, 2015, 12:42 p.m. Lustig Theatre

Laura moved on to the next person to question. The people in the theatre had been very cooperative and they were almost finished. The only people left were a couple of actors. Carmilla was in another room, they had decided that divide and conquer was their best bet. She looked at the name at the end of her list and smiled, just one more, then she could go get lunch. She felt a stab of guilt. Her questions hadn't really gotten her anywhere, and she knew that she should feel bad, but then again, she _was_ hungry.

The last man came into the room. He certainly had presence. He sauntered right up to the chair across from her and sat down. Laura glanced down at the notes. Carmilla had questioned him last time, and right at the top of his page in her lazy scrawl was "Deus Fisk: Maybe his mother should have named him Narcissus" Laura giggled and hurriedly composed herself when he raised an eyebrow.

"So, you're name is uh... Deus Fisk? That's unique." He smiled wide,

"Deus is Latin for god. And just look at this body! I do believe my mother was able to predict the future." Laura raised an eyebrow. Yeah, he was handsome, but she didn't really have any sudden desire to bow down and worship him.

She started asking him questions, but didn't have any more luck than with everyone else. He answered fully, but his egotism was starting to grate on her nerves. When she was finally done, she let him go. As soon as he left, Carmilla came in.

"Did you give me him on purpose?" She asked, Carmilla smirked,

"I may have. Even my patience isn't endless." Laura snorted and got up,

"Want to pick up some sandwiches and go over these notes back at the station?"

"Might as well."

**Carmilla**

March 19, 2015, 1:09 p.m. Silas City PD

Carmilla and Laura sat at their desks with their sandwiches. They had agreed to put their work on hold while they ate, Carmilla pointing out that they deserved a break. They chewed in silence until Laura pointed to the name tag on Carmilla's desk,

"I've been wondering, what's with the whole no-last-name thing?" Carmilla shrugged,

"I legally changed my name. I don't have a last name."

"Why would you get rid of your last name?" This was starting to go into dangerous territory, time to put her off,

"Well, I have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I'll lose my air of mystery, won't I?" Laura smiled,

"Oh yeah, that really would be terrible." Carmilla leaned forward, she'd (sort of) answered Laura's question. She figured she was entitled to one now. Although why she even cared was something she hadn't actually figured out yet.

"So... why'd you become a detective, anyway?" Laura lit up, and Carmilla didn't know why her partner was so excited, but it was cute.

"Well, I used to want to be a journalist, but they really just record events, you know? I mean, that's really important too, but I decided it was a little too passive. I wanted to actually go out and help people. I mean, when you help people, it feels really good and-" Laura suddenly bit her lip nervously, "But... You probably think that's stupid." Carmilla shook her head and didn't even think before answering,

"Actually, Lois Lane, it's kind of sweet."

_Where the hell did that come from?_ She wondered, thoroughly appalled at herself.

She was a little less annoyed at herself when she saw Laura's smile.


	9. Chapter 9

**Carmilla**

March 20, 2015, 12:04 a.m. Silas City PD

Carmilla raged into the station in a foul mood. If the dimwit squad didn't have a very good reason for calling her in the middle of the night, she would seriously consider murder. Laura was waiting for her near the entrance.

And no, Carmilla wasn't going to admit that it brightened her mood considerably.

"Hey, Cupcake. You going to tell me what's going on?" Laura shrugged,

"I don't know. LaFontaine called me in, told me it was urgent and to come straight to the station. They refused to say anything until you got here." Carmilla rolled her eyes,

"Of course they did. Come on, the sooner we find out what's going on, the sooner I can go back to bed."

They went straight to the forensics lab, where LaFontaine was waiting for them with Perry. The two of them turned around when the door opened.

"Finally! Come here." They came into the room, and Carmilla looked around. This time of night, they were the only ones there. Perry looked even more tense than usual, and was glancing around as though she thought the building might collapse around them. LaFontaine looked grim and determined.

"Okay, Gingersnap, why did you get me out of my very comfortable bed?" Carmilla growled,

"I got a match for the print on Sarah-Jane's body." Lafontaine told them quietly. Laura squealed and Carmilla sighed in relief. She had been afraid of another body.

"Great! Who's is it?" Laura asked, LaFontaine hesitated,

"It's... Chief Karnstein's." Carmilla felt her stomach drop.

"Who else knows?" She asked, LaFontaine bit their lip.

"Other than us four, Danny. She knows a district judge and is getting an arrest warrant. You know how hard it would be to get one through official means. This is the chief of police we're talking about. I mean, I know she's never been the nicest person, but we all thought she was, I don't know, a good guy?" Carmilla barely heard the rest of what LaFontaine was saying. After the words "arrest warrant" she had found it hard to listen. Her thoughts were drowning everything out.

_Not her. Anyone but her._

Then there was a warm hand on her arm and Carmilla looked up to see Laura looking at her in concern.

"Carmilla, you okay?" It took several moments before the words made sense in her head, and Carmilla slowly nodded. Laura didn't look convinced, and no wonder. She couldn't even convince herself.

"I know it's a shock, but we still need to do our jobs. Can you do it, Carmilla?" Laura was looking straight into Carmilla's eyes, and Carmilla didn't want to see disappointment on her face.

"Yeah. I've been at this a while. I can do it." Laura smiled and then wrapped her arms around Carmilla in a hug, who froze in surprise for a moment before hesitantly returning it.

Okay, maybe not _anyone_ but the chief. This girl was making a habit of becoming the exception.

**Laura**

March 20, 2015, 4:12 a.m. Chief Karnstein's Residence

Laura watched Carmilla as they approached the house. She couldn't tell if her partner looked pissed, or scared. It might've been both. Laura hesitated when they reached the door.

"This is the chief of police. Should we... knock?" She asked

Carmilla lifted up her leg and kicked in the door.

_Apparently not._

The Chief came out of one of the rooms. Laura had to admire her ability to keep her composure when two of her employees came bursting into her house this early in the morning.

"Detectives. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked. And it was entirely unfair that she could still be so intimidating when she was dressed in a nightgown.

"Chief Karnstein, we have a warrant for your arrest." Laura stuttered. She was expecting a struggle, but the chief just nodded and held out her hands. Carmilla stepped forward and cuffed her, reading her rights as she did so.

As Carmilla marched the chief out the door, Laura couldn't help but ask,

"Why?" The chief gave a small smile. It was the first time Laura had seen a smile on the older woman's face, and it was terrifying.

"Why Detective Hollis, I do believe I have the right to remain silent." She didn't say another word on their way back to the station.

Laura kept an eye on Carmilla. Her usually languid partner was agitated beyond belief.

She was starting to think that she _really_ shouldn't have transferred here.


End file.
